


Promise

by Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97



Category: His Dark Materials (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extended Scene, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27963839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97/pseuds/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97
Summary: "Then he heard a strange thump behind him. He turned and saw Lyra drop to her knees in the center of the room, while Pantalaimon, turning into a white ermine on the way, leapt into her outstretched arms, whimpering softly."------------Set during 2x05, "The Scholar". The aftermath of the heist scene.
Relationships: Lyra Belacqua & Marisa Coulter, Lyra Belacqua & Will Parry, Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry
Comments: 10
Kudos: 113





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello darlings! I'm back with another HDM fic!  
> My previous one, "Eyes Up" got such postive reviews which I am so grateful for and I also got some encouragement to keep writing for Lyra and Will so HERE I AM!  
> I hope you enjoy it!

When Latrom fell to the floor, with his face in the shards of a broken vase, there was no time to think about what to do next. Will, ignoring the pain in his injured hand, grabbed the Knife and ran towards Lyra. Although he tried to move as quickly as possible, he felt as if the world around him had slowed down. His heart leapt into his throat as he emerged from around the corner to see Pantalaimon fiercely attacking the golden monkey while the strange woman was getting off the floor on her striding legs. Will's brain registered the fact that the monkey must be her deamon, and it crossed his mind that it was weird that she managed to get up during such an attack, but Lyra was unable to get back to her feet when Tullio only kicked Pan once.

Lyra - the sight of her was what made his blood freeze in his veins, and only a clear mind allowed him to overcome this sensation. His friend was standing on the last step of the stairs, towering over the woman, staring her down with murderous eyes. She bared her teeth, tears ran down her cheeks, her hands were clenched into fists and she was trembling all over her body. Will realized it was because she had to order her deamon to attack.

The sight was terrifying - he didn't think Lyra could contain such a strong level of hate in her.

There was, however, no time for these considerations. He spotted the alethiometer laying abandoned on the floor, so he dove in and grabbed it before lunging himself at Lyra.

"Lyra, I've got it, come on!" he shouted into her face, shaking her shoulders. But it didn't help - the girl was stuck in some sort of a trance, she was taking short, rapid breaths; her eyes, blurred with tears, fixed on the woman, and her features were filled with so much pain and disgust Will had never seen in anyone else in his life. "Lyra, we need to go!"

Seeing that his efforts were useless, he let go of her and ran a bit behind her to cut open the window.

"Lyra, quick!"

In the meantime Latrom managed to get up and instantly moved straight for her, shortening his way by jumping over the couch. Maybe that, or maybe Will's screams had finally pulled Lyra out of her dullness. She rushed towards the cut with Pan in form of a black wolverine right behind her, leaving the monkey on the floor. Will first made sure Lyra made it safely to the other side, then jumped through himself, with Pantalaimon darting under his feet. Seeing that both the monkey and the man were on their tails, he closed the window with one swift move, right before the golden monkey jumped to attack him.

After the chaos of the last several minutes, the silence in the Tower felt overwhelming, the only sound interrupting it was their loud, deep breathing. Will, leaning forward with the heels of his hands on his knees, stared for a moment longer at the place where the cut to his world had been just a few seconds ago. His injured hand throbbed with pain, but somehow he ignored it.

Then he heard a strange thump behind him. He turned and saw Lyra drop to her knees in the center of the room, while Pantalaimon, turning into a white ermine on the way, leapt into her outstretched arms, whimpering softly. They were both shaking like leaves in the wind, and Lyra's breathing became more and more rapid. She sounded like she couldn't breathe air into her lungs despite all her best efforts. Her eyes were open so wide as if they were about to fall out of her eyesockets, and fresh tears marked her pale cheeks.

"Lyra?"

She didn't respond. She only rocked herself back and forth, pressing Pan to her chest, sobs shaking her whole body. She looked like… like…

_ Like mom _ , he realized.

His mother also had frequent panic attacks whenever something scared her. It didn't take much - sometimes even a sudden whistle of strong wind was enough to throw her off balance. The first time this happened, Will didn't know what to do. He spent countless hours searching for information on the Internet, reading about how to deal with something like this.

So now he knew what to do - or at least he hoped he did.

Carefully, without making any sudden movements, he placed the Knife and alethiometer on the nearest bench, then slowly walked over to her.

"Lyra, it's me, Will." he whispered and placed his hands on her shoulders. She was still staring blankly into space, but Pan lifted his snout up, fixing his black eyes on him. Will gave him a comforting smile and turned his attention back to his friend.

"Come on, can you try to stand up?"

Holding her by the shoulders, he helped her lift herself off the ground, making sure she won't fall over on unsteady legs. Her breathing eased a little and when she was finally standing on her own, she looked up at him.

"W-Will?"

His heart nearly broke. It was impossible for Lyra,  _ his _ Lyra, a total ray of sunshine and a ball of energy to sound so… broken.

He moved closer and raised his good hand to wipe her tears.

"Yeah, it's me." he assured her in a whisper. "I'm here. We've made it, we're safe now."

Suddenly Lyra began to hyperventilate again and look around the room with terrified eyes.

"Is she here?" she asked with a trembling voice. "Please tell me she's not here. She-"

_ She _ .

The strange woman with a monkey deamon. She was certainly from Lyra's world, and their paths must have crossed in the past. But who was she? And what had she done to make Lyra so frightened?

Trying to stop her from panicking, Will took Lyra's face gently in his hands and guided her towards his own.

"Hey, look at me." he asked, speaking quietly and softly. Lyra obeyed and their eyes met. "You're with me. We're alone, back in the Tower. She won't hurt you, I promise."

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes filling with tears again. One of them dropped onto his hand, soaking into his bloody bandage.

"Oh, Will…" she whispered, releasing Pan from her embrace and throwing herself into his arms the next second. Her deamon instantly turned into a moth and flew upwards, while Lyra wrapped her arms around Will's back and pressed herself to his chest, sobbing loudly.

He stumbled backwards, surprised, but then his arms circled around her shoulders and he pulled her closer, holding her tight. He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, feeling his own tears well up. He couldn't cry, he couldn't fall apart, not now when Lyra was trembling against him, holding on to him so desperately as if her life depended on it. He had to be strong for her just like he had to be strong for his mother. Lyra needed him right now.

He hugged her as tightly as he possibly could, stroking her back, shoulders and hair with his hand, hoping it somehow helped her.

"Lyra, I'm here." he tried again and pressed his cheek against her hair.

"Will…" she mumbled against his chest, her voice muffled by his hoodie. She couldn't get anything more out of her, she just repeated his name, again and again, like a broken record.

He ran his fingers through her brown curls.

"Shh, it's okay. It's over, I'm here with you." he pulled away gently, put his hand to her cheek again, and leaned in to look at her, their foreheads touching. At the sight of her tearful eyes, a sense of protectiveness has risen in him like a tidal wave against the shore. He was ready to crush into dust anyone who had ever as much as touched a hair on Lyra's head.

"Come on, let's sit down." he suggested and led her to the bench where his knife and her alethiometer were. She followed him without objection, clinging to his arm tightly. When they sat down, she fell against him again, pale and exhausted, and rested her head on his shoulder. He pulled her back to him, holding her so tightly like he was afraid that if he let go of her, Lyra would fall apart into a million tiny pieces. Meanwhile, Pantalaimon landed in the form of a nightingale next to her leg, watching them closely.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, just holding onto each other. Lyra's breathing slowly calmed down, aligned with the rhythm of Will's thumb stroking her arm soothingly. She was so tired she could barely move - she went completely limp against him, leaning on his shoulder, her forehead pressed against his neck. Will didn't mind the closeness - quite the contrary, he was glad that, at least in this way, he could help her overcome whatever had terrified her so much. He remembered her face when she first saw the woman, how fear froze her in place. Her mind screamed at her to run and that's what she tried to do but Latrom stopped her. At the thought of that man's hands touching Lyra, Will tightened his grip on her even more. He didn't want to let her go, not even for a moment. He was ready to hold her in his arms as long as she needed it. And… he needed it too, to be honest. The feeling of her body pressed against him helped him calm down and get a grip on his raging thoughts. Their mission was successful, and Lyra was here with him, safe and in one piece, at least physically.

She stirred and wiped the tears with the back of her hand, sniffling.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, her voice weak from crying. Will hugged her tighter.

"You have nothing to apologize for." he told her. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, I am… It's just… when I saw her, I…"

"Lyra?" Will began cautiously, fearing his question might throw her off balance again. "Who is this woman?"

Lyra straightened up and took a deep breath. He felt a chill seize his body the moment she left his embrace. She took Pantalaimon in her arms and smoothed down his feathers, then looked Will in the eyes and said.

"That's my mother."

* * *

When they returned to their house, Lyra said she wanted to be left alone for a while. Will somehow swallowed down his worry, as he would have liked to keep his eye on her, and nodded, telling her to call out to him if she needed him.

An hour later he was sitting on his bed with his back against the seat of a small sofa in the corner of the room, staring at his bandaged hand. His head was full of thoughts he couldn't get away from. He thought about how to get used to a life without two fingers; about his father and where he could be now and about his mother, lonely, worried and at the mercy of strangers; about the magic knife in his pocket, which had chosen him as its next bearer. He also thought of Tullio, a terrified boy who only wanted to survive and was now just a shadow of himself thanks to the spectres. But most of all he thought about Lyra, her frightened face at the sight of her mother, her eyes filled with pain and hatred, her cheeks wet with tears. He couldn't forget how she trembled in his arms, how she cried on his shoulder.

What happened?

What mother can cause her own child to react like this?

For once he was thankful for the pain in the stumps of his missing fingers, it was a good distraction.

Suddenly he heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Pan running towards him in a red panda's body and Lyra following him carrying a tray with two steaming cups.

"Hey. Made you some coffee." she said smiling, and Will breathed a sigh of relief to see that she felt better.

"Thanks."

Pan jumped on the blanket and laid down close to Will's leg, while Lyra set the tray on the floor and sat in front of him.

She was holding the alethiometer in her hands. She was silent for a moment, turning it between her fingers, then said.

"Thank you, Will."

He gave her a weak, slightly awkward smile.

"No problem." he replied and raised his bandaged hand as if to show that this time he hadn't lost any fingers in the fight. "Easy."

She smiled back, but as soon as she looked at his hand, it went out like a blown candle. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. After a while, however, she began to speak.

"When I heard him hurting you, I wanted to kill him."

He saw it. Maybe not all of it, because he was busy defending himself against Latrom, but Will could see the fury in her eyes. However, the fact that he was the reason she felt that anger surprised him.

He didn't know what to say to her, so he changed the subject to an equally delicate one.

"So that was your mother?"

Lyra looked down and nodded slowly. For a moment, Will was afraid she would start crying again, but she remained calm. "I've never seen you like that before."

Lyra took another deep breath, and after a while she moved on her knees under the wall to lie down next to him on the pile of blankets. Pantalaimon climbed onto the seat behind them and laid down above her head, while she folded her hands on her stomach and looked up at the ceiling.

"She can seem so good sometimes." she started, glancing at him. "And I wanna believe it, but I mustn't. Once, she used her deamon to hurt Pan, to hurt me."

Will looked from her to her deamon and back, feeling a twinge in his heart. More than once he has witnessed already how violence against a deamon affected humans. He couldn't understand how someone - a parent at that - could inflict such pain on purpose.

He shifted and laid down beside her. Lyra rolled over so they could lay now face to face and folded her hands under her cheek. Their faces were only centimeters apart now.

"I'm always scared something bad's happening to my mom." he admitted looking her in the eyes. "But never that she will hurt me."

"It may sound strange, but… I hope I'm not like either of my parents." she said after a moment. She looked away from him, sadness mixed with shame on her face. "It didn't feel good, acting like she did. I hope I'm like… Ma Costa… or Lee Scoresby."

"Lyra, you don't need to be like anyone else." he assured her, speaking straight from his heart. It pained him to think that she didn't see how special she was, while he knew it from the moment they met. "They'd be lucky to be anything like you."

They got lost in each other's eyes, understanding the importance of these words. The corner of Lyra's mouth curled up into a slight smile, and Will had to concentrate very hard to not stare at her lips. The temptation, however, was very strong.

She was the first to look away, but only for a moment. She reached for the alethiometer and set it between them.

"Well, now that we've got this back… I will do nothing but help you find your father. Promise."

He smiled. Not only because of her promise, but also because his brave, fierce Lyra was back.

They laid there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company and closeness. Neither of them said anything because there was no such need. After everything that happened today, they needed a moment of peace and rest.

Pantalaimon stretched on his bed, and Lyra yawned. Her hand clutching the alethiometer relaxed and slid onto the blanket. She tried to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids were drooping, heavy with sleep. Will felt a strange warmth in his chest at the sight.

"Get some sleep, Lyra." he whispered.

She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Can I stay here?" she asked uncertainly. "I, um… I don't want to sleep alone tonight. Not after-"

"Of course you can." he told her and reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. His hand rested on her cheek for a moment, stroking gently her delicate skin. Lyra closed her eyes again and smiled.

"Thanks."

"You have nothing to be afraid of." he assured her. His hand found hers lying between them and he took it, their fingers lacing together tightly. "I won't let her, or  _ anyone _ hurt you. Never. I promise."

Lyra moved her head closer. Will did the same, and their foreheads touched again.

"Goodnight, Will." she muttered with a smile dancing on her lips. This time he looked at them, trying to ignore the strange feeling that reappeared in his chest.

"Goodnight, Lyra."

Moments later they were both asleep, forehead to forehead, hand in hand, for the first time in a long time feeling as if they were finally at home.

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was it? I really needed some fluff after the stress this episode provided. And I really wanted to see how encountering Marisa affected Lyra later, considering her reaction. Facing your abuser, especially when it happens unexpectedly, is never easy.  
> Plus, I needed more protective Will. And more affectionate Will. And more Will in general.  
> Kudos and comments as always appreciated. Check out my other stuff and come say hi on my Tumblr @not-so-mundane-after-all-97  
> SEE YA NEXT TIME!


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